May 1, 2026
We’ve got lots of big news coming up!
May is our first ever pledge drive!
A lot of you may not know it but we’re a fuckin’ 501(c)(3) non-profit and that means we rely a lot on your donations to keep this thing going. A large part of our mission is to pay bands fairly but still keep events accessible (meaning cheeep!) and that’s where you come in.
Our newest program (and what we are trying to fund with this drive) is called UnMuted. Its goal is to raise the visibility of queer and women-led punk(etc) bands in our region. In the music and arts community creativity has pretty much always been synonymous with diversity. This has certainly been true over the more than ten year life of Volume Bomb.
Even still, queer and women led bands have a harder time finding purchase in the largely straight/cis/male dominated realms of aggressive music like punk rock, metal, hardcore and "other musical forms underground".
UnMuted’s first official event will be Sat, July 4: Pride @ Full Volume, an all ages, free-to-attend, afternoon/evening block party on the 2500 block of SE Clinton (Dot's/Clinton St Theater block). With two stages, we’ll be alternating between queer & women-led bands on one and Portland style Drag on the other.
We'll also have a fashion show that afternoon and as the sun goes down we'll vibe-shift to a dance party inside Dot's. A lot of donations will go to fund this event but that's not all. Going forward we hope to offer UnMuted workshops with local creative minds sharing their knowledge, experiences and resources around playing live music in the PNW. We want to be able to create more free events around town that showcase our community's queer and women artists. We'd also like to go back to our roots - putting out compilation records, and feature an UnMuted comp.
This fund drive is going to culminate with a fancy Gayla, May 29th at Swan Dive (727 SE Grand). We’ll have music from Creature Party, a silent auction, signature cocktails, nosh and lots of fun. Check out the website for deets!
And now, without further ado, the LOUD -
Record Reviews
Note: we use our own completely original and made up on the spot metric for rating music but it is also a 100% objectively accurate.
Merwulf Flexi Disc-
available for preorder
Minimalist post-punkish trio from PDX. When I started listening, I honestly thought I was it was gonna skew towards depression but this record is genuinely funny and a damn good time
Will this cause a spontaneous dance party?
Yes, you’ll want to dance but you’ll also have to stop and demand people listen to the lyrics cause they’re legit funny (or devastating)
If I take a valium and go for a walk while listening to it does it feel like I’m solving a mystery?
Can confirm. 100%.
Am I crying cause there’s a sad song about a cat?
Yes, yes I am. I’ll go back to listening to my typical blast beats and guttural screams after I find a kleenex and go snuggle the closest animal I can find
Beelzebabes - singles
Honky tonkin rock n roll from ashes of the Streakin Healys
How likely is the singer to ruin your hot tub?
Listen, Healy and I go way back and I can’t blame him, but this is definitely the music running through someone’s mind while they ruin your hot tub
So, these are drinking songs?
Minus one bomb for introspection
How likely is the bar to sing along?
These songs are built around a drunken bar yelling along with the chorus
The Generals - The Devil You Know
Gasoline guzzling riffage outta PDX, they’ve been around fora bit and are always a damn good time
Paging Shreddy Kruger your Riffs Are Here?
Skeedly leee da da da weeeee (feedback sounds)
How likely are you to get a speeding ticket?
This isn’t Jesus Built My Hot Rod level of risk, but this record is meant for doing burnouts and running from the law
Will listening to this make a mustache spontaneously grow on face?
Yeah, but like a trucker mustache